Also look at the Yamaha 659. Lots of features for the price!! They have been a good deal for a while, but with the new models coming out, there are even BETTER deals to be had. Sub $300 is easy to find!
Purely a newbie opinion, but I perfered the 700's to the CM when I demo'd them. And I really like the style/look of the 700's. What area of the country are you in? A dealler here in SLC had some demo 704/703 for a great deal....I almost bought them, but went NHT instead.